Neither animal nor plant, the fascinating fungi kingdom is full of secrets to unearth. To learn more, check out these links and take a deep dive into this amazing group of organisms. Have fun exploring!
Naturalists Karen Rent and Susie Spikol from theHarris Center for Conservation Education, in Hancock, uncover the everyday outdoor magic waiting right in your backyard and under your feet.
Wild at Home is a 12-episode series created for curious kids and young-at-heart adventurers from NHPR and theHarris Center.
Natural history and online reading
Online Field Guide to Common Mushrooms in Eastern Forests This is a quick reference to mushrooms encountered in the forest ecosystems of the Midwest and Northeast.
Children’s books
Check out mushroom books for all ages by visiting the Harris Center Reads: Mushrooms page, including “Humongous Fungus: The Wonderful World of Fungi” by Lynne Boddy.
“It’s a Fungus Among Us: the Good, the Bad & the Downright Scary” by Carla Billups and Dawn Cusick. Middle-grade readers will love the bold images and vibrant, fast-paced text in this highly readable collection of fungi facts. They might even want to try a few of the hands-on experiments included in this book.
“Mushroom in the Rain” by Mirra Ginsburg, José Aruego, and Ariane Dewey. How many animals can fit under one mushroom cap during a rainstorm? Young readers will love to see who shows up to seek shelter, and exactly what happens to mushrooms in the rain.
Activities
- Go on a fungi scavenger hunt. Here is a good one from Whistler Naturalists. How many colors can you find?
- Want to make a mushroom spore print? Here’s how.
- Create a mini mushroom field guide using this activity from the North American Mycological Association.
Videos
How are mushrooms different from plants? Watch this video from Brittanica to learn the difference.
Sing some mushroom songs with Harris Center teacher-naturalist, John Benjamin.
You can hear Wild at Home on NHPR Sunday at 9:35 a.m. every other week for 12 weeks.
Stream episodes anytime at NHPR.org, listen on the NHPR app, or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts on Apple and Spotify.
Wild at Home is a series created for curious kids and young-at-heart adventurers by NHPR and the Harris Center for Conservation Education.
